


Creature Comforts

by snaeken



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 03:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18562885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snaeken/pseuds/snaeken
Summary: Theo is recently back from Hell, and his truck absolutely stinks of Liam Dunbar.





	Creature Comforts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [manonlemelon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manonlemelon/gifts).



> Happy (belated) birthday Manny!!!

A couple of things have changed since Theo got brought back from Hell.

For one, the Dread Doctors (and his fake parents) are gone. He has no secure source of money and nowhere to sleep at night. Of course the Doctors let a couple of things slip over the years regarding their finances and where they store it, and Theo could no doubt get his hands on some of it if he tried. The question is, does he deserve it?

Secondly, some dudes on horses are apparently making people disappear. Not the most original source of villainy, yet apparently enough to get the pack's collective panties in a twist.

And thirdly, Theo's truck absolutely stinks of Liam Dunbar.

He had hidden it on the outskirts of the preserve before his untimely demise (to him at least, everyone else would probably strongly disagree). Somehow in the time he was gone, nobody except Liam seems to have been anywhere near it. Strangely, Liam doesn't seem to have told anyone it's here. Even more strangely, Liam seems to have been spending a significant amount of time in and around his truck.

The question is  _ why _ ?

A few hours later, Theo gets his answer.

He's ripped from his nightmare by someone breaking into his truck. He snaps a clawed hand around the offender's throat, snarling as he focuses on them, his eyes a calculating, murderous glowing blue.

"Let go," Liam gasps, his own eyes shining yellow as he tugs at Theo's iron grip, slowly and steadily unclenching Theo's claws and getting them away from his neck, pinning Theo's hand to the seat of the truck. The stupid beta is still stronger than him, stronger than he’ll ever be.

The copper tang of blood permeates through Theo's panic; he might not have clawed Liam's throat out, but he's obviously drawn blood.

"Nightmares, huh?" Liam says when Theo finally stops struggling against his grip. Now that the initial fight has gone out of Theo, Liam finally releases his arm when he retracts his claws. There's a small trail of blood quickly drying on Liam's throat, however the actual wounds already seem to have closed up; clearly they weren't deep at all.

"Yep. Beta werewolf, golden moral compass, around five foot two-"

"I'm five-eight, you asshole!"

Theo raises an eyebrow and Liam averts his eyes.

"Five-six and a half," he mumbles.

Theo huffs out a laugh, surprising himself with the sound. It's the first time he's laughed since he came back from Hell.

Since Liam  _ brought him back _ from Hell.

"I know you're deflecting, by the way," Liam says. When did Liam become so perceptive? What happened to the beta with the anger issues who acted with his claws and fists first, then thought about it later? It probably happened after he nearly killed Scott under Theo's guidance. "I had nightmares for a long time after we fought the Berserkers. I still do, occasionally."

"That's great and all, but I don't remember asking for your life story," Theo drawls. A spike of anger rises in Liam , apparently still as easy to do as ever; Theo could easily keep pushing his buttons, rile him up more and more until he explodes. He knows where that got him last time however, and he has no intention of repeating it. "Why the hell are you breaking into my truck in the middle of the night, anyway? In fact, why have you apparently been around it so much that it stinks of you instead of smelling like me?"

Liam's heart rate does something strange and he drops his gaze to Theo's blanket. "This was stupid. I'll go."

“No,” Theo grabs Liam’s arm when he tries to leave, keeping him in place. It’s a bit pointless, they both know Liam could easily get out of Theo’s grip if he wanted to. “Answer me.”

Liam sighs, relenting. "You're dangerous."

"Well no shit."

Liam gives him a look and gets into the truck properly, forcing Theo to move so he can sit down.

"We're all dangerous, us supernatural creatures. And so are all the people who come after us. The ones who want to use us, manipulate us," he gives Theo a pointed look, "to  _ kill _ us. Our very existence is a danger to the humans in this town.  _ My _ existence is a danger to my family." His voice cracks at the end of the sentence and Theo knows that's really what all this is about, his family.

"And my truck is going to protect them somehow?" Theo asks. He can't stop the sarcasm dripping from his voice and Liam shoots him a glare.

"I figured they'll be safer if I keep my distance. I've been... I've been sleeping here. For quite a while."

Embarrassment and guilt roll off Liam, pungent enough for Theo to start breathing through his mouth instead of his nose.

"I found your truck out here after... y'know... and I could tell nobody else had found it yet, so I hid out here to get away from everyone. I fell asleep and I thought everyone would freak out because I smelled like you, but nobody commented on it, and my parents never realised I was gone, so I just. Kept doing it."

"You're wrong," Theo says.

"What?"

"You're wrong. The people you love are safer with you around to protect them. If -  _ when _ \- something happens, you'll kick yourself if you're hiding out here instead of being there to face the enemy."

Liam leans back against the seat, sitting in silence for so long that Theo is ready to kick him out so he can attempt to get a little bit more sleep, when he says, "I don't trust you."

Theo snorts. “But?”

"But you're right." The words almost sound like they caused him physical pain to say.

“I’m always right.”

"Are you homeless now?"

"No, I'm just sleeping out here for fun," Theo drawls. Liam gives him a look and Theo raises an eyebrow, daring Liam to challenge him over it when he's been doing that exact thing for literal months. Liam relents and looks away.

"You're supposed to be my responsibility," Liam mutters, and as much as he may have become more perceptive when Theo was in Hell, he hasn't learned how to control his chemosignals better in the slightest.

"And I'm not asking you to do anything for me."

Liam huffs and crosses his arms, frustration simmering beneath his skin and radiating off of him. Valuing all of his teeth, Theo contains his laugh.

"I'm taking you for breakfast tomorrow," Liam announces.

"I don't need your charity," Theo bites back.

"It's not charity, you're going to do something for me in return."

"Oh?"

"You're going to let me sleep here tonight," Liam smiles, seeming weirdly pleased with himself.

Theo stares at him for a few moments. "Let me get this straight. You have a loving family and a warm bed to sleep in at night. You want to buy me breakfast, and in return you want to sleep in my truck, with  _ me _ in it."

“Yep,” Liam smiles.

"Where the hell are your self-preservation skills," Theo mutters, lifting up the blanket for Liam to get underneath it. It’s definitely a stupid idea, but breakfast sounds nice.

Liam is halfway under the blanket when he looks at Theo. "How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?"

“How do I know  _ you _ won’t kill me in  _ my _ sleep?”

“Touché.”

Liam wriggles the rest of the way under the blanket, inadvertently pulling some of it off of Theo. Theo yanks it back and Liam growls at him like an angry puppy, yanking it back. Theo huffs and shuffles a little closer to Liam so they both comfortably fit underneath it, and between the truck smelling like him, the blanket smelling like him and the boy himself being right here, Liam’s scent totally encompasses him. It’s not unpleasant.

They lay in silence until Liam’s breathing eventually evens out. Theo listens to the soft puffs of his breath, in and out, in and out, for a few minutes until he’s sure the other boy is sound asleep. Theo finally closes his eyes, sleep swiftly overtaking him. It’s the easiest he’s fallen asleep since he was a child.

 


End file.
